mtDNA polymorphism and metabolic inhibition affect sperm performance in conplastic mice

Although there is a general correlation between nucleotide substitutions in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and a variety of metabolic pathologies, research into the impact of particular mtDNA genotypes is still ongoing. It is still unclear how crucial mitochondrial activity is in producing the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) required for sperm function. In this study, five conplastic inbred strains with identical nuclear backgrounds but different mitochondrial genomes are used to test the impact of mtDNA polymorphisms on mouse sperm performance and bioenergetics.